Majorities of voters on both sides of the political spectrum oppose key provisions in President Bush's proposal to modify foreign surveillance laws that could ensnare Americans, according to a poll released Tuesday.

The survey shows nearly two-thirds of poll respondents say the government should be required to get an individual warrant before listening in on conversations between US citizens and people abroad. Close to six in 10 people oppose an administration proposal to allow intelligence agencies to seek "blanket warrants" that would let them eavesdrop of foreigners for up to a year no additional judicial oversight required if the foreign suspect spoke to an American. And a majority are against a plan to give legal immunity to telecommunications companies that facilitated the Bush administration's warrantless wiretapping.

"Across the board, we find opposition to the administration's FISA agenda," pollster Mark Mellman said Tuesday.

The contentious debate over rewriting the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) may be over in the House, but it’s just starting to gain ground on the campaign trail.

Republicans want to make it a national security issue this November. Democrats think that argument is outdated. But the majority party does acknowledge a new onslaught from liberal activists, who, though usually sympathetic to Democrats, are now talking about challenging some candidates based on the recent FISA overhaul.

The FISA deal reached between Republicans and centrist Democrats proposes to change the nation’s spying laws and provide an avenue for telecommunication companies that participated in the Bush administration’s domestic wiretapping program to be immune from lawsuits. The bill passed the House 293-129 last week, with most Democrats opposing it and just one Republican voting against it.

The vote is evidence that the country is still in a “center-right position” when it comes to terrorist surveillance, said Ken Spain, a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC).

“Democrats are desperately trying to take the terrorist surveillance issue off the table now that the election is within sight, but this doesn’t change the fact that many of them voted against the critical intelligence program at every turn,” Spain said. “Just because they caved to Republican pressure in the end doesn’t mean we won’t expose their abysmal records.”

The NRCC has already cited House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), who brokered the deal, as a way to go after Democrats who opposed it.

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.... aaaaaaand CREDO has set up another petition asking Obama to reconsider his support of FISA.